Hollywood action icon Tom Cruise is reportedly set to take centre stage at the Closing Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. TMZ has indicated that the actor is planning a stunt that will see him scale the iconic Stade de France and then proceed to carry the Olympic flag to officially pass the baton to Los Angeles, the host city of the 2028 Games.
During the closing ceremony, Cruise will reportedly be seen rappelling down Paris’ Olympic arena, known as the Stade de France, where he’ll acquire the Olympic flag and then hop a plane, from which he’ll skydive to the iconic Hollywood sign.
From there, he’ll be handing off the flag to athletes “including a cyclist, skateboarder and volleyball player,”.
Cruise is said to be featured in a pre-recorded segment that will air during the Closing Ceremony. This segment will showcase the actor piloting a plane carrying the Olympic flag from Paris to Los Angeles, culminating in a breath-taking skydive to the Hollywood sign.
Production company Fulwell 73 — co-run by James Corden and known for Hulu’s The Kardashians as well as Adele’s 2021 CBS special One Night Only, which took place at the iconic Griffith Observatory — is behind the L.A. segment, which will mix prerecorded and live elements.
The Hollywood Reporter has learned that an early plan involved a large party at Will Rogers State Beach, where the handoff of the Olympic flag would occur. This was scrapped due to LAPD concerns over an extended Pacific Coast Highway shutdown and challenges obtaining the necessary California Coastal Commission permitting. Fulwell 73 didn’t respond to a request for comment.
We’re told the film will then show Tom passing the flag to other Olympians — including a cyclist, skateboarder and volleyball player — as they make their way around the next host city for the Summer Games.
Chaired by Casey Wasserman, the 2028 Summer Olympics will run July 14-30 in Los Angeles, which also hosted the Games in 1932 and 1984. The city likely will kick off the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad at a venue built for the 1932 event: the Coliseum. It will be part of what LA28 organizers are calling the Downtown Sports Park, a collection of venues that includes Crypto.com Arena, the Convention Center, the BMO Stadium, USC’s Galen Center and the Peacock Theater.